Downtown Asheville Blog

Looking for something to do this weekend? There’s plenty going on in and around Downtown Asheville. Here’s a sample:

Today

Third Annnual BBQ Cookoff and Bluegrass Jam - What could be better than enjoying some barbecue, listening to bluegrass, and then shopping for some local produce, meats and arts and crafts? Admission is free and cooks will be selling to the public. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the WNC Farmers Market.

Tonight

Whiskey Daredevils - This local alternative-country-rock band takes the stage at one of the newer local venues, The Rocket Club, 401 Haywood Road. 10 p.m., ages 21 and older.

Tomorrow

The Asheville Jams concert series at the Asheville Community Theatre brings the Firecracker Jazz Band to the stage. This local six-piece ensemble plays New Orleans-style jazz with a youthful fire that really gets the crowd moving. Tickets cost $15, starts at 3 p.m.

Posted by Mark Vanderhoff. an Asheville real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Kasey & Associates.

Downtown Asheville is lucky to have an independent movie house like the Fine Arts Theater. Our city is also lucky to have the Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company, which, in addition to pizza and beer, serves up second-run movies for just $3.

Located on Merrimon Avenue in North Asheville (with a satellite pub Downtown on Coxe Avenue), the local fixture will be hosting a tribute to Quention Tarantino this Saturday. For $5, fans of the movie director will get to watch “Pulp Fiction,” eat a birthday cake, sign a birthday card that will be sent to Tarantino, and receive a special birthday bash T-shirt.

Tarantino received acclaim for “Reservoir Dogs,” and then hit the big time in the early 199os with “Pulp Ficiton.” He also wrote and directed “Jackie Brown” and “Kill Bill,” co-wrote and co-directed “Four Rooms” and “Grindhouse,” and wrote the movies ”Dusk Till Dawn” and “Natural Born Killers.

Tickets for the party on are sale now. There will only be 150 seats available.

Posted by Mark Vanderhoff, an Asheville real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Kasey & Associates.

If you haven’t taken the children to see Schoolhouse Rock Live! yet, you still have one more week to see the show in Downtown Asheville. The stage adaptation of the classic educational kids’ show continues through March 25 at the Asheville Community Theater.

Children of the 1970s, many of whom have their own sons and daughters today, will fondly remember songs such as “Three Is a Magic Number, “Conjunction Junction, What’s Your Function?” and “I’m Just A Bill.” The catchy tunes have stuck with many of us, and Internet reviews suggest they might stick with your kids, too.

I found the coolest Schoolhouse Rock website, complete with sound clips and lyrics to songs like “I’m Just a Bill.”

I’m just a bill.
Yes, I’m only a bill.
And I’m sitting here on Capitol Hill.
Well, it’s a long, long journey
To the capital city.
It’s a long, long wait
While I’m sitting in committee,
But I know I’ll be a law some day
At least I hope and pray that I will
But today I am still just a bill.

Tickets cost $22 for adults and $12 for children 17 and under.

Lou Reed fans were probably happy to hear about the iconoclast’s U.S. tour, but might have been a little disappointed to see how short the date list was. Fortunately, Downtown Asheville made the cut. Former singer for the classic rock band Velvet Underground, Reed was also best known for his solo hit “Walk on the Wild Side.” He will perform on April 29 at the Orange Peel. Tickets are on sale now.

Elsewhere in town, the Biltmore Estate announced the lineup for its annual Summer Evening Concerts series. The concerts are held on the garden patio right next to the Biltmore House, with spectacular sunset views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Here’s the schedule:

Aug. 1 - Steven Curtis Chapman

Aug. 2 - KC and the Sunshine Band, Village People

Aug. 6 - The Stepcrew

Aug. 7 - Gladys Knight

Aug. 8 - B.B. King

Aug. 9 - REO Speedwagon

Aug. 15 - The Beach Boys

Posted by Mark Vanderhoff, an Asheville real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Kasey & Associates.

Downtown Asheville has been blessed with a wonderful art-house theater, the Fine Arts Theater. This local institution has two screens and frequently gets independent movies one would expect to find in much bigger cities.

This week’s playlist features a classic, “Bladerunner,” and what may one day be a classic, “Persepolis.”

“Bladerunner: The Final Cut” combines archival footage to recreate the classic 1982 sci-fi movie. Director Ridley Scott revised and released the new version in 2007. It comes in a little longer and a little bleaker, with an alternate conclusion that defies the Hollywood happy ending.

The Tomatometer on RottenTomatoes.com comes in at 97 percent for Bladerunner, a rare score that attests to this films stature among cinemaphiles. A new film, Persepolis, also scored highly on the T-Meter with a 95 percent.

Persepolis tells the story of a young Iranian girl who is sent to Europe to study at the height of the Iran/Iraq War. She must overcome prejudice of her Muslim heritage, as well as other adolescent issues. Based on the bestselling graphic novel, the black-and-white animated movie has a sometimes somber but ultimately uplifting mood.

Posted by Mark Vanderhoff, an Asheville real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Kasey & Associates.